A new Zanclognatha from eastern North America and a preliminary key to the larvae of the genus (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Herminiinae)

The adult of a widespread but previously undescribed species of Zanclognatha Lederer is described from eastern North America. Images of the mature larva and life history datafor Zanclognathadentatasp. n. are included, along with a preliminary key to the larvae of ten eastern North American Zanclognatha species.     

Microsatellite and mitochondrial data provide evidence for a single major introduction for the Neartic leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus in Europe

Scaphoideus titanus, a leafhopper native to North America and invasive in Europe, is the vector of the Flavescence dorée phytoplasma, the causal agent of the most important form of grapevine yellows in European vineyards. We studied 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci and a 623 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene in native S. titanus from north-eastern America and introduced European populations, to elucidate the colonization scenario. Consistent with their recent history, invasive European populations were less genetically diverse than American populations for both types of markers, suggesting a recent bottleneck. Significant isolation by distance was detected between American populations but not between European populations. None of the European mitochondrial haplotypes was found in the American vineyards, from which they are assumed to have originated. The precise source of the invasive S. titanus populations therefore remains unclear. Nevertheless, the high heterozygosity of North-East American populations (which contained 92% of the observed alleles) suggests that this region is part of the native range of S. titanus. Clustering population genetics analyses with microsatellite and mitochondrial data suggested that European populations originated from a single introduction event. Most of the introduced populations clustered with populations from Long Island, the Atlantic Coast winegrowing region in which Vitis aestivalis occurs.     

Description of Meloidogyne nataliei n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae) from Grape (Vitis labrusca) in Michigan,with SEM Observations

Meloidogyne nataliei n. sp. is described and illustrated from grape (Vitis labrusca) in a declining vineyard at Mattawan, Michigan, USA. Infected grape roots exhibit no hyperplastic symptoms. Females protrude from the roots and are surrounded by a massive egg sac containing many eggs. This new species is distinguishable from other species of the genus especially by its large, striking perineal pattern with, usually, two ropelike separated striae on each side extending laterally from the vulval and anal areas. Among other diagnostic characters are the location of the female excretory pore adjacent to or near the base of the head and the heavy larval stylet averaging about 22 μm in length. Examination of males, females, and larvae with the scanning electron microscope confirmed observations made by optical microscopy and revealed diagnostic and other structures in greater detail. Of particular significance was the nature of the male head, with a massive circular labial disc on which is located a rectangular structure surrounding the oral opening, and the six distinct lips appearing as a rosette in en face view. The known distribution of this new species is presently limited to its original location in Michigan.     

Organic farming promotes bee abundance in vineyards in Italy but not in South Africa

Although grapevine is a crop that produces fruit without insect pollination, vineyards may provide resources for bees and other pollinators. Flower resources such as pollen and nectar are provided by the vine plants as well as other flowering plants including cover crops grown between the vine rows. Little is known about how management and landscape context affects bee communities in pollinator-independent crop systems such as grapevine. This study investigates the effect of organic versus conventional management on bee species richness and abundance in vineyards in Italy and South Africa both having a Mediterranean climate. In each country, six pairs of organic and conventional vineyards were studied in simplified and complex agricultural landscapes. A total of 433 bee individuals from 25 species and 1049 individuals from 15 species were recovered in pan traps from Italy and South Africa respectively. Bee abundance showed region specific response to the effects of vineyard management. Flowering plants and proportion of uncultivated land mediated differences in bee abundance. Higher flowering plant species richness and flower density were found in organic vineyards compared to conventional vineyards in South Africa but these flowering plant indices were not significantly different between the two vineyard management types in Italy. This emphasizes the necessity for local and region specific studies for informing conservation, as even in the same crop system with a similar climate, the effects of farm management differed between countries.     

Contributions to the faunistics and bionomics of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in northeastern North America: discoveries made through study of the University of Guelph Insect Collection, Ontario, Canada

Staphylinidae (Rove Beetles) from northeastern North America deposited in the University of Guelph Insect Collection (Ontario, Canada) were curated from 2008-2010 by the first author. The identification of this material has resulted in the recognition of thirty-five new provincial or state records, six new Canadian records, one new record for the United States and two new records for eastern Canada. All records are for subfamilies other than Aleocharinae and Pselaphinae, which will be treated in future publications as collaborative projects. Range expansions of ten exotic species to additional provinces and states are reported. The known distributions of each species in northeastern North America are summarized and presented as maps, and those species with a distinctive habitus are illustrated with color photographs. Genitalia and/or secondary sexual characters are illustrated for those species currently only identifiable on the basis of dissected males. The majority of the new records are in groups that have been recently revised, demonstrating the importance of curation and local insect surveys to the understanding of biodiversity, even for taxa and areas considered 'relatively well-known'.     

Landscape simplification increases vineyard pest outbreaks and insecticide use

Diversifying agricultural landscapes may mitigate biodiversity declines and improve pest management. Yet landscapes are rarely managed to suppress pests, in part because researchers seldom measure key variables related to pest outbreaks and insecticides that drive management decisions. We used a 13‐year government database to analyse landscape effects on European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) outbreaks and insecticides across c. 400 Spanish vineyards. At harvest, we found pest outbreaks increased four‐fold in simplified, vineyard‐dominated landscapes compared to complex landscapes in which vineyards are surrounded by semi‐natural habitats. Similarly, insecticide applications doubled in vineyard‐dominated landscapes but declined in vineyards surrounded by shrubland. Importantly, pest population stochasticity would have masked these large effects if numbers of study sites and years were reduced to typical levels in landscape pest‐control studies. Our results suggest increasing landscape complexity may mitigate pest populations and insecticide applications. Habitat conservation represents an economically and environmentally sound approach for achieving sustainable grape production.     

Phylogeographical structure and conservation genetics of wild grapevine

The distribution of Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris, the wild grapevine subspecies of Vitis vinifera L., has been dramatically reduced in its major sites of diffusion, at first by the spread, over the last 150 years, of pathogens from North America and, more recently, with fragmentation of habitat and disbranching by humans. In this work, 418 wild grapevine samples, belonging to 78 populations, were collected in their main Mediterranean distribution areas, including the Caucasus area, and the extent of their genetic variability evaluated by analysing plastid microsatellite DNA polymorphism. Results show low haplotype diversity value, with five haplotypes detected within the analysed populations. The highest within-population haplotypic diversity, with the presence of all five detected haplotypes, was found in the Caucasus regions and in the central regions of Italy. The distribution of all detected haplotypes suggests the Caucasian region as the possible center of origin of Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris. A principal plastid lineage was found to be fixed in several locations, in the Northernmost European countries and in the Southern island of Sardinia. These results draw attention to two different refugium sites in the Mediterranean basin and suggest that conservation priority should be given to grapevine populations still preserved in hotspots of these regions.     

Nemtaode-Vector Relationships in the Pine Wilt Disease System

Pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is the causal agent of pine wilt disease in North America and Japan. Dispersal stage dauer larvae are transported to new host trees on the body surface and within the tracheal system of several beetle species. Worldwide, 21 species of Cerambycidae, 1 genus of Buprestidae, and 2 species of Curculionidae are known to carry pinewood nematode dauer larvae upon emerging from nematode-infested trees. Five species of cerambycids in the genus Monochamus are known to transmit dauer larvae to new host trees, four North American species and one Japanese species. Primary transmission to healthy trees occurs through beetle feeding wounds on young branches. Secondary transmission to stressed trees or recently cut logs occurs through Monochamus oviposition sites.     

DNA barcodes for 1/1000 of the animal kingdom

This study reports DNA barcodes for more than 1300 Lepidoptera species from the eastern half of North America, establishing that 99.3 per cent of these species possess diagnostic barcode sequences. Intraspecific divergences averaged just 0.43 per cent among this assemblage, but most values were lower. The mean was elevated by deep barcode divergences (greater than 2%) in 5.1 per cent of the species, often involving the sympatric occurrence of two barcode clusters. A few of these cases have been analysed in detail, revealing species overlooked by the current taxonomic system. This study also provided a large-scale test of the extent of regional divergence in barcode sequences, indicating that geographical differentiation in the Lepidoptera of eastern North America is small, even when comparisons involve populations as much as 2800 km apart. The present results affirm that a highly effective system for the identification of Lepidoptera in this region can be built with few records per species because of the limited intra-specific variation. As most terrestrial and marine taxa are likely to possess a similar pattern of population structure, an effective DNA-based identification system can be developed with modest effort.     

Cutting wild grapevines as a cultural control strategy for grape berry moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

A 3-yr field study was conducted at commercial grape farms to evaluate cutting wild grapevines as a cultural control strategy for grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens). At each farm, wild grapevines were cut in the woods adjacent to one vineyard for control of P. viteana, whereas the comparison vineyard received no such cutting. Both vineyards received a standard broad-spectrum insecticide program for control of P. viteana and other vineyard insect pests. Monitoring with pheromone traps showed no differences between treatments in the total number of male moths trapped in both woods and vineyards. Egglaying by P. viteana was similar between the two wild grape cutting treatments in all 3 yr. During weekly samples of crop infestation by P. viteana, no differences were observed between programs in the percent of clusters infested by P. viteana larvae. Berries infested by P. viteana were collected from vineyard borders during the second and third P. viteana generations and held under controlled conditions. In all but one sample, survival of P. viteana larvae was similar between the two wild grape cutting treatments, parasitism of P. viteana larvae within vineyards was similar between the two wild grape cutting treatments on all sample dates, and similar captures of natural enemies were found on yellow sticky traps in the two treatments throughout the study. The opportunities and benefits of cutting wild grapevines as a cultural control in grape integrated pest management programs in eastern North America are discussed.     

Impact of Pinewood Nematode in North America: Present and Future

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, pinewood nematode (PWN), is the most serious pest of pine forests in Japan, but in North America its role in pine wilt disease is still being studied. The PWN is known to infest many species of Pinus, with P. nigra, P. sylvestris, and P. thunbergii the most susceptible in the eastern United States. Because of its potential, several European countries (Finland, Norway, and Sweden) and Korea have established embargoes against the importation of coniferous wood from regions of the world known to be infested with the PWN. Although the PWN is not considered an economic pest in North American forests, the recent embargoes have established an impact on current forest management practices and an economic impact on North American export trade.     

Host specificity of microsporidia pathogenic to the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.): Field studies in Slovakia

Several species of microsporidia are important chronic pathogens of Lymantria dispar in Europe but have never been recovered from North American gypsy moth populations. The major issue for their introduction into North American L. dispar populations is concern about their safety to native non-target insects. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of sympatric non-target Lepidoptera to two species of microsporidia, Nosema lymantriae and Vairimorpha disparis, isolated from European populations of L. dispar and applied in field plots in Slovakia. Application of ultra low volume sprays of the microsporidia maximized coverage of infective spores in a complex natural environment and, thus, exposure of non-target species to the pathogens. Of 653 non-target larvae collected from plots treated with V. disparis in 2002, 18 individual larvae representing nine species in four families were infected. These plots were monitored for two subsequent seasons and V. disparis was not recovered from non-target species. Of 2571 non-target larvae collected in N. lymantriae-treated sites, one larva was found to be infected. Both species of microsporidia, particularly N. lymantriae, appear to have a very narrow host range in the field, even when an inundative technique is used for their introduction. V. disparis infections in L. dispar exceeded 40% of recovered larvae in the treated study sites; infection rates were lower in sites sprayed with N. lymantriae. Several naturally-occurring pathogens were recorded from the non-target species. The most common pathogen, isolated from 21 species in eight families, was a microsporidium in the genus Cystosporogenes.     

Alpha taxonomy of the genus Kessleria Nowicki, 1864, revisited in light of DNA-barcoding (Lepidoptera,Yponomeutidae)

The taxonomy of Kessleria, a highly specialized montane genus of Yponomeutidae with larval host restriction to Saxifragaceae and Celastraceae (Saxifraga spp. – subgenus Kessleria; Saxifraga spp. and Parnassia spp. – subgenus Hofmannia), is revised based on external morphology, genitalia and DNA barcodes. An integrative taxonomic approach supports the existence of 29 species in Europe (the two known species from Asia and North America are not treated herein). A full 658 bp fragment of COI was obtained from 135 specimens representing 24 species, a further seven sequences are >560 bp. Five new species are described: Kessleria cottiensis sp. n. (Prov. Torino, Italy; Dep. Hautes Alpes, France), Kessleria dimorpha sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France), Kessleria alpmaritimae sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-Maritimes, France), Kessleria apenninica sp. n. (Prov. Rieti, Prov. L´Aquila, Italy), and Kessleria orobiae sp. n. (Prov. Bergamo, Italy).     

Pseudaptinus (Thalpius) nobilis Liebke, new to the United States, and a key to the species of subgenus Thalpius LeConte in North America, including Mexico (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Zuphiini)

The Mexican carabid species Pseudaptinus (Thalpius) nobilis Liebke is documented from the United States for the first time based on two specimens captured in southeastern Texas. A new taxonomic key distinguishes the 10 members of subgenus Thalpius known in North America, including Mexico. Pseudaptinus (Thalpius) dorsalis, which is found to be highly variable in its dorsal coloration, is compared to similar Pseudaptinus (Thalpius) hoegei. Geographic ranges are extended for several species.     

Di Alcuni Caratteri Differenziali Nelle Plantule di “ Cuscuta Epithymum „ Mürr. e di “ Cuscuta Pentagona „ Eng.

Endophytes are micro-organisms that colonize the internal tissues of plants without inducing signs of negative effects and that can provide benefits to plant health and yield. In the present work, the culturable bacterial endophyte community, colonizing vegetative organs of grapevine, was isolated from surface-sterilized plant tissues and characterized by molecular methods. From roots, shoots and leaves of Vitis vinifera “Glera”, located in six different vineyards throughout the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG area (Veneto, Italy), 381 culturable strains were successfully isolated; amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and nucleotide sequencing showed that approximately 30% of the endophyte community belonged to the genus Bacillus, which was the most represented; other genera such as Staphylococcus, Microbacterium, Paenibacillus, Curtobacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Variovorax, Micrococcus and Agrococcus were identified. Endophyte community composition within each vine was different in respect to other endophyte populations living in grapevine plants coming from different vineyards; moreover, the bacterial composition changed depending on the season of sampling. The above data highlight the great diversity of culturable bacterial species inhabiting Glera grapevines and open the way for a characterization and selection of strains that could potentially be used to improve the vineyard management for plant growth and yield, plant responses to stresses, biocontrol and biofertilization.     

The Nearctic-Caribbean species Leptotrachelus dorsalis (Fabricius, 1801): Larval descriptions with a diagnosis of immature Ctenodactylini and natural history notes on the genus and tribe (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

Adults and larvae of Leptotrachelus dorsalis (Fabricius), the Sugarcane Savior Beetle, live in association with grasses, the larvae in the appressed leaf axils. Both adult and larval Leptotrachelus dorsalis eat larvae of the Sugarcane Borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius), and perhaps other insects living in the confines of the leaf sheaths of that and other grass-like species. The geographic range of Leptotrachelus dorsalis extends from Kansas in the west to the Atlantic seaboard, north as far as Ontario, Canada and south to Cuba; it is an eastern species of North America and the Caribbean. Larval character attributes that are shared with a related ctenodactyline, Askalaphium depressum (Bates), provide a preliminary basis for characterization of the immatures of tribe Ctenodactylini.     

Host persistence or extinction from emerging infectious disease: insights from white-nose syndrome in endemic and invading regions

Predicting species'' fates following the introduction of a novel pathogen is a significant and growing problem in conservation. Comparing disease dynamics between introduced and endemic regions can offer insight into which naive hosts will persist or go extinct, with disease acting as a filter on host communities. We examined four hypothesized mechanisms for host–pathogen persistence by comparing host infection patterns and environmental reservoirs for Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the causative agent of white-nose syndrome) in Asia, an endemic region, and North America, where the pathogen has recently invaded. Although colony sizes of bats and hibernacula temperatures were very similar, both infection prevalence and fungal loads were much lower on bats and in the environment in Asia than North America. These results indicate that transmission intensity and pathogen growth are lower in Asia, likely due to higher host resistance to pathogen growth in this endemic region, and not due to host tolerance, lower transmission due to smaller populations, or lower environmentally driven pathogen growth rate. Disease filtering also appears to be favouring initially resistant species in North America. More broadly, determining the mechanisms allowing species persistence in endemic regions can help identify species at greater risk of extinction in introduced regions, and determine the consequences for disease dynamics and host–pathogen coevolution.     

Seasonal pattern of oviposition by the North American grape berry moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The seasonal patterns of oviposition by the North American grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) were monitored in juice grape (Vitis labrusca) vineyards in southwest Michigan. Egg deposition was recorded throughout the growing season at two vineyards in 2006, and at four vineyards from 2007 to 2009. In each vineyard, a random sample of 100 grape clusters was visually inspected twice‐weekly and the number of newly laid eggs was counted. We found that oviposition was continuous but variable throughout the season. Egg deposition started in early June coinciding with early grape bloom, continued at low level until mid‐ to late July, intensified in August close to veraison, and ended in September often before harvest. There were no consistent periods without oviposition that would indicate distinct generations. To determine the contribution of moth immigration into the vineyard to the pattern of oviposition, six grape plants located at the edge of a vineyard next to woods were covered with field cages and stocked with infested fruit. Oviposition and berry infestation were followed weekly on covered and exposed plants. Although higher numbers of eggs and infested berries were found on fruit of exposed vines than enclosed vines, egg deposition and berry infestation followed the same pattern in both treatments. This result indicates that the seasonal pattern of egg deposition is not dependent on immigration of grape berry moth of wild grape origin. The pattern of oviposition by grape berry moth described here contributes to the difficulty of controlling this pest using conventional insecticides with short residual activity.